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'IT'S MANAGEMENT BEDLAM': MADNESS AT FOX NEWS AS TRUMP FACES IMPEACHMENT
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/09/madness-at-fox-news-as-trump-faces-impeachment-lachlan-murdochBY GABRIEL SHERMAN
SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
In public, Donald Trumps allies are putting on a brave face, repeating talking points, mostly staying on message. But in private, there are few who believe that the allegations leveled by an intelligence agency whistle-blower that Trump abused American foreign policy to leverage Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden wont result in considerable damageif not the complete unraveling of his presidency. I dont see how they dont impeach, a former West Wing official told me today. This could unwind very fast, and I mean in days, a prominent Republican said.
Trumps final bulwark is liable to be his first one: Fox News. Fox controls the flow of informationwhat facts are, whether allegations are to be believedto huge swaths of his base. And Republican senators, who will ultimately decide whether the president remains in office, are in turn exquisitely sensitive to the opinions of Trumps base. But even before the whistle-blowers revelations, Fox was having something of a Trump identity crisis, and that bulwark has been wavering. In recent weeks, Trump has bashed Fox News on Twitter, taking particular issue lately with its polling, which, like other reputable polls, has shown the president under significant water. Meanwhile, Trumps biggest booster seems to be having doubts of his own. This morning, Sean Hannity told friends the whistle-blowers allegations are really bad, a person briefed on Hannitys conversations told me. (Hannity did not respond to a request for comment). And according to four sources, Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch is already thinking about how to position the network for a post-Trump future. A person close to Lachlan told me that Fox News has been the highest rated cable network for seventeen years, and the success has never depended on any one administration. (A Fox Corp spokesperson declined to comment.)
Inside Fox News, tensions over Trump are becoming harder to contain as a long-running cold war between the networks news and opinion sides turns hot. Fox has often taken a nothing-to-see-here approach to Trump scandals, but impeachment is a different animal. Its management bedlam, a Fox staffer told me. This massive thing happened, and no one knows how to cover it. The schism was evident this week as a feud erupted between afternoon anchor Shepard Smith and prime-time host Tucker Carlson. It started Tuesday when Fox legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano told Smith on-air that Trump committed a crime by pressuring Ukraines president to get dirt on Biden. That night, Carlson brought on former Trump lawyer Joe diGenova, who called Napolitano a fool for claiming Trump broke the law. Yesterday, Smith lashed back, calling Carlson repugnant for not defending Napolitano on air. (Trump himself is said to turn off Fox at 3 p.m., when Shep Smith airs.) Seeking to quell the internecine strife before it carried into a third day, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and president Jay Wallace communicated to Smith this morning to stop attacking Carlson, a person briefed on the conversation said. They said if he does it again, hes off the air, the source said. (Fox News spokesperson Irena Briganti denied that management had any direct conversation with Smith).
The ultimate referee of this fight will be Lachlan Murdoch. In recent months, Ruperts oldest son has been holding strategy conversations with Fox executives and anchors about how Fox News should prepare for life after Trump. Among the powerful voices advising Lachlan that Fox should decisively break with the president is former House speaker Paul Ryan, who joined the Fox board in March. Paul is embarrassed about Trump and now he has the power to do something about it, an executive whos spoken with Ryan told me. (Ryan did not return a call seeking comment.) But a person more sympathetic to Trump has told Lachlan that Fox should remain loyal to Trumps supporters, even if the network has to break from the man. We need to represent our viewers, the source said. Fox is about defending our viewers from the people who hate them. Thats where our power comes from. Its not about Trump.
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'IT'S MANAGEMENT BEDLAM': MADNESS AT FOX NEWS AS TRUMP FACES IMPEACHMENT (Original Post)
swag
Sep 2019
OP
riversedge
(70,197 posts)1. Sean Hannity told friends the whistle-blower's allegations are "really bad," a person briefed on Han
Hey Hannity--the allegations are really really BAD!
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)2. It's all about power and domination.
Fox is about defending our viewers from the people who hate them. Thats where our power comes from. Its not about Trump.
Well, now we know. Fox noise is more powerful than DJT. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, dear delusional followers of a modern day "Jim Jones and the suicide Kool-Aid".
Mister Ed
(5,929 posts)3. In other news, Dr Frankenstein contemplates life post-monster. n/t
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)4. Shep and Wallace should be okay.
The rest of those clowns can go down with the ship!
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)5. Thoughts and prayers.
Call Uncle Vlad and get him to send some more Roubles.